Suddenly not wanting to have one foot picked out/ lifted

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justjaz

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My 21yr old gelding is suddenly not keen on having his right fore picked up for picking out. He's always been excellent with lifting his feet for picking out / the farrier.

I've checked for heat in the joints of that leg & the opposite leg & found nothing. He's trotting up fine. Fine when ridden. I've flexed the joints in the affected leg & he doesn't protest or seem bothered. He's out 24hrs so not stuck in a stable standing.

Before I panic, what could it be? I know there's been some running around in the field of late, some I'm thinking maybe he could have pulled something, but his age makes me more anxious about such things!

Thanks in advance!
 
I honestly don't know what to suggest but mine's very similar in both front legs. He's had abscesses in both front feet, which were successfully treated and cleared. Now he's very reluctant to let me pick up either front foot, he lifts then snatches/ stamps it down. He's sound, no heat. I'm baffled. So be interesting to see what is said.
 
My cob can be like this . Sometimes it seems to be if the foot is thrushy, also if the diagonally opposite leg is sore (he has EPSM), it also often seems to be related to when he's had (for him) "too much" grass. Sometimes I think he just does it to be awkward.

Hope you get to the bottom of it, I'm glad its not just mine!
 
Maybe that is not the foot with the problem? Maybe he doesn't like weight bearing on the other leg? Back problems can also lead to a reluctance to pick up one or more feet.
 
Thanks- after checking the affected foot/ leg and not finding anything I immediately thought it must be change in the weight & checked the opposite leg. I must admit I hadn't thought about his back. I'd thought about his shoulder as he has large shoulders.

It can't be too much as he will let you pick it up eventually, but 'normal' for him is that if he sees a hoof pick he'll pick up the leg you are closest by- he has always been that good, so I know he's trying to tell me something's not right.
 
This is how I found out my old girl had arthritis knees a few years ago. Last year she decided she wasn't going to pick up her near hind or if she did, lifted it right up to her belly, waved it about then nearly fell over. With careful handling and lots of patience laced with extra strong mints, she now picks it up of her own accord again but I know not to hold it up any longer than is really necessary. Arthritis in her hips almost certainly.
 
is it both feet??

the problem could be in the other one like abscess , somethings obviously not right If no heat or any entrance of penetration I would ask you vet over the phone.

the only other things is

shoulder pain
knee pain
back pain
when was he last shod ??

does he have a digital pulse?
 
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It's just the one foot.

He was shod about a month ago. The farrier has put his shoes on a bit further back than normal. He tends to do this for all the horses. I meant to ask why out of interest. I presume it's for earlier breakover. His hoofs grow fast, so we tried a year without shoes, but he couldn't handle the gravel bridleways we have round here, so these are his second pair of shoes since then (front feet only).

He is prown to shoulder and knee 'niggles' as he's got a really choppy action and his saddle has to be placed further back than normal.

I had thought about arthritis because of his age.

He's on full grass livery, so when I go up next (prob tomorrow) I'll do some more checks.
 
fatpiggy said:
This is how I found out my old girl had arthritis knees a few years ago. Last year she decided she wasn't going to pick up her near hind or if she did, lifted it right up to her belly, waved it about then nearly fell over. With careful handling and lots of patience laced with extra strong mints, she now picks it up of her own accord again but I know not to hold it up any longer than is really necessary. Arthritis in her hips almost certainly.
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One of my dads friesian stallion is an old boy and he doesn't like his near hind being picked up either, he picks it right up to his belly, almost falls over so I pick it out really quickly and when he puts it down he does so really slowly. He is a driving horse and used to be very good with teaching the youngsters we get over from holland,but now he pulls away from the pole and teaches the youngsters bad habits! He lives out in warm nights of the summer and stays in in the cold or damp nights, maybe being out all the time might be making your horse stiff?? Although it was expensive we got a solarium for Koss, you could have a look on eBay for oldfashioned ones if you don't want to spend to much as they work just as well as the new ones! Hope it helps :)
 
Thanks missponymad.

He's a little stiff behind, so I was going to get him some supplements anyway, so if it is arthritis then maybe that'll help. If he has to be in when it's cold, then we'll have to look at a yard move :( but I'll try some other things first. He's also going to have a little rest over Christmas, just in case it is a slight pull from going mad in the field a couple of weeks back (well that's what the YO said, but I couldn't see any new marks in the field, so it can't have been that bad!).

Knowing my pony I shall go up & find he's fine again, now I've worried about him so much!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'll keep you posted!
 
fatpiggy said:
This is how I found out my old girl had arthritis knees a few years ago. Last year she decided she wasn't going to pick up her near hind or if she did, lifted it right up to her belly, waved it about then nearly fell over. With careful handling and lots of patience laced with extra strong mints, she now picks it up of her own accord again but I know not to hold it up any longer than is really necessary. Arthritis in her hips almost certainly.
Click to expand...

Lifting hind legs up under the belly and nearly falling over together with a reluctance to pick them up are some indications of DSLD. My gelding has gone through painful periods where he couldn't pick up hind legs. Are they also hesitant going down hills? Do they tend to stand with hind legs up to the stable wall and/or with toes dug into the bedding or in the ground? These are some of the other signs but there are many more. It is not recognised much here unless the fetlocks have dropped but check out this web site, in case it is this, hope it's not though:(
http://www.dsldequine.info/
 
Thanks muff747. Doesn't sound what my chap has as it's his front leg he has problems with. He doesn't have any other symptoms. I feel like a bit of drama queen being so concerned after some of the other problems that have come up on this thread :o. I've been very lucky, he's been a great pony the whole time I've had him (which is 13 years!) :D.
 
It does affect front legs also but it is more visible in the back legs. My gelding has had periods of problems picking up his fronts as well. Please don't dismiss this as your horse being awkward, there will be a reason and more likely to be pain from bearing weight on the opposite leg.
Good luck,
 
Obviously it's impossible to even guess with an accuracy over the internet ;) but re not wanting to load the opposite front foot, often "discomfort" shows itself in diagonal pairs. If the issue is with him redistributing his weight - rather than with the actual picking up of the one foot - don't assumes it's necessarily the other front foot. I've also see that sort of reluctance in horses with back pain. Basically, if he has to redistribute his weight in any way that then hurts him, you're going to get a reaction.

Of course you could also be getting a reaction because he's reluctant to bend the "affected" leg, although I'd say if it is something like an arthritic change he'd be more likely to be okay picking the leg up but reluctant to keep it up for any length of time and possibly uncomfortable when you put the leg down again.
 
Thanks TarrSteps- no not looking for a diagnosis, just wanting to make sure I don't miss something which might get more serious. I want to keep my old boy in tip top condition! :D

Well I did a few more checks today. No heat in any legs. I picked up all feet in turn & got the same reaction with the affected leg. When I asked again, he picked it up but started pawing the ground, but didn't want it to be curled up towards his tummy in the 'picking out position'.

So, as I had bought him a mini lick as a Chrimbo treat I put it on the ground for him to lick away at. I asked for the foot to be lifted. He picked it up & held it for picking out for agess (about 1 min) with absolutely no problem whatsoever. No pawing, no snatching away from me. I tried again without the lick and he was fine. Picked up the foot on the other side (so his weight shifted) and then the affected foot again. No problem again. My conclusion from this is that perhaps he was concerned it would hurt, but it doesn't (or doesn't hurt as much) anymore.

He's got some Glucosamine/ MSM supplement now as well, but I'll get his back checked over come the New Year.

Thanks all for your suggestions! (& Merry Christmas!) :D
 
glad you've found something that works.. I've found my boy likes to have something to lean on when his 'bad' foot is picked out. I've come to the conclusion he's anticipating it to hurt, as he's had abscesses/nerve blocks in that foot, so doesn't want me to touch it. He's fine in all other ways, rode him for first time in 8 weeks tonight and he was fine....
 
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